I did this as a birthday hike over the Christmas holidays on a weekday. We arrived around 10:30/11 and there was a line of cars out the park and a mile or more down the road. We were told the park was full and no new guests were being accepted, try coming back after 1.

So we went and noodled around Frederickburg and returned a little before 1. Again we waited in a huge line, but the cutoff for who got in was about 6 cars behind us. Phew. Moral of the story: visit E-Rock on a weekday when there are no holidays in sight, and get there early.

When we finally got in, we only had the mojo for the single hike up to the top, but it was beautiful, and we had a terrific time spotting weird plants and looking at the tiny fairy shrimp in the vernal pools. There were tons of people, but it was worth it. The last section of the hike looks steeper than it is--if heights give you the collywobbles, just focus on your feet and don't look around too much till you reach the summit and you'll be fine.

I love this place. I wandered around all day, first climbing Enchanted Rock itself and finding the cave on the backside, then I went and climbed Turkey Peak (I chose the harder but shorter route where I had to climb up rocks-- at the top I learned from others there that there is also a longer path that is easier), then I climbed all around and on Freshman Mountain.

Summit Trail and Enchanted Rock proper is the busiest area by far, but there were other places I explored where I saw no other people.

This place is great because there are easy trails that still have nice views if you ust want to wander around leisurely but there are also tougher trials or you can try climbing on rocks if you wnat a challenge. It is a place I keep returning to (I go at least once a year).

a fun exhausting three day weekend
User: jimmy peace - 10/4/2013[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 8.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
this time we spent 3 days and actually i went down into the cave about 400' and volunteered to pick up trash, and we conquered little rock mtn to the left.. going up thru the crevaces, then i conquered turkey peak

We hiked east on the loop trail, went about halfway around, then through the camping area and on the Echo trail, bouldering our way to the summit trail. Very hot and dry with no water running through the creeks. Not really that interesting during dry periods.

I have been wanting to visit Enchanted Rock for several years, so I was pleased to finally make it. It lived up to all of my expectations.

Since I had done a lot of distance hiking earlier in the week, my goal at this state park was to do some elevation training, so I did not hike all of the loop trails around the park, focusing instead on ascending peaks. I climbed Little Rock, Enchanted Rock (twice) and Turkey Peak.

This is a very scenic place. I took so many photographs, I had to change the memory card on my camera. If you appreciate geology, you will be amazed by this place.

The trails themselves are well marked and well maintained. The map they provide you at the park entrance is very good.

At the top of Enchanted Rock, there is also a short cave you can explore. It is essentially a route under and through some large boulders. It has some tight spots where you have to squeeze through, but it's fun.

Visiting this place was well worth the long drive back to Houston. I highly recommend this hiking destination.

Three peaks on Columbus Day
User: terlanmat68 - 10/8/2012[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.00 Miles
Duration: 4 hours, 39 minutes
Took the kids to Enchanted Rock since they were out of school. Weather was perfect... arrived around 9:30am, temperature was around 50F and there weren't many folks around. We started our hike on the Loop Trail to the left of the parking lot. We turned off the main trail to the right and followed a "jeep" trail toward the unnamed westernmost peak simply labeled "1705" on the park map. After some water and a few pictures, we continued to the east, descending slightly and then climbed up Little Rock to that peak. More water and pictures and then we made our way down into and across Echo Canyon and hiked up Enchanted Rock from the west, finding our own path. It was a bit steep in places, but we made it easily. Found the USGS marker on the top of Enchanted Rock. We found a nice spot to sit along the northern edge and had lunch. After enjoying the view for a while, we explored the nearby cave entrance area but decided not to follow the arrow that pointed straight down. Maybe next time. We descended and circled to the north through Echo Canyon and then east behind Enchanted Rock. We were planning to head over to Buzzard's Roost, but the kids were starting to get tired and we decided to abort the mission before it stopped being fun. We back tracked slightly and followed Turkey Pass back to the parking lot. We'll be back another day to try to bag Buzzard's Roost, Freshman Mountain and maybe even Turkey Peak (if it can be reached without climbing skills).

Walking up a counter top.
User: craigalbritton - 3/15/2012[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 0.75 Mile
Duration: N/A
NOTE: For SPRING BREAK - To ensure entrance to the park, make sure you are there early. The park opens at 0800, by 1000 there is a line to get in, and by noon o'clock we heard the wait was up to an hour.
Took the family to Enchanted Rock for Spring Break to do some hiking. First up, The Summit Trail, while it seems a bit odd to think of a big granite rock as having a "summit", once you finish walking up the side of the giant granite boulder you do appreciate the flat top. There are tons of more scientific and technical explanations of what is seen on this trail, so I will not go into that aspect. One thing to definitely note is the utter lack of formal bathrooms on the rock itself, i.e. be sure to take care of business before embarking. The hike is pretty simple, not easy per se as it involves hiking up a steep enough grade which does cause for some uneasiness if you slip. I imagine this trail is not real fun if there is any precipitation. Also, I have hiked at E-Rock in summer as well, and that pretty much sucked. The granite amplifies the heat quite nicely, so you do feel like the proverbial egg frying on the concrete. The view from the summit is great and a full 360 degrees. Remember: peeing or soaking your feet in the vernal pools is highly discouraged.

Circling the rock
User: craigalbritton - 3/15/2012[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 2.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
NOTE: For SPRING BREAK - To ensure entrance to the park, make sure you are there early. The park opens at 0800, by 1000 there is a line to get in, and by noon o'clock we heard the wait was up to an hour.
The Loop trail was nice and would make for a great trail run (if you are not saddled if kiddos), especially as a warm-up to a day of hiking E-Rock. Nothing too challenging here, and as there are numerous campsites with composting toilets,it makes for a good way to transition from the Summit Trail to the other trails at Enchanted Rock.

Echo Canyon and Little Rock
User: craigalbritton - 3/15/2012[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 7.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
NOTE: For SPRING BREAK - To ensure entrance to the park, make sure you are there early. The park opens at 0800, by 1000 there is a line to get in, and by noon o'clock we heard the wait was up to an hour.
After the Summit Trail, we scrambled down to the Echo Canyon Trail to hit the compost toilet. Though the rangers would frown on trying to pee off the top a giant granite boulder on the dome itself.
Echo Canyon is aptly named and after a rousing "TEXAS,FIGHT" echo-fest with my daughter, we picked our way through the wash of rocks and intermittent water. Nothing too technical here, but you could easily turn an ankle or scrape a knee if you are not paying attention. Also, if it pouring down rain, I imagine Enchanted Rock and Little Rock act as the perfect funnel.
We connected with the Loop Trail then headed to Little Rock which has two humps. Hiking Little Rock is very similar to Enchanted Rock but with a lot less people. I think most visitors think that one rock is as good as any other. I enjoyed Little Rock as there was more vegetation and since it actually rained in the Hill Country before our visit, there was this strange color called "green" almost painted on everything. Sorry, poor drought joke here in the Lone Star State :)
Last thing, we took my near 70 year old mother-in-law who true to form was wearing woefully inappropriate footwear (those goofy arse Sketcher rocking shoes), but she hung in there all day. For Mother's Day, I am seeing some nice day hiking shoes in her future, but I hope I can find some in gold lame' (I think that's France speak for shiny tacky gold cloth.)!

completed
User: tomtazz - 3/14/2012[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 1.00 Mile
Duration: N/A
I cannot believe I completed the hike due to the fact that just three months ago I had my hip replaced. Had to stop several times due to being out of shape but I did it and feel great after the hike. Nice way to celebrate my 4th wedding anniversary.

We came back to do it again
User: Eveline - 7/23/2011[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.20 Miles
Duration: N/A

One of our favorite places. Wish we lived closer and could do it more often.

lovely.
User: karawynne - 8/7/2010[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 1.00 Mile
Duration: N/A
staying at the park for the weekend was delightful. i really enjoyed hiking in to the primitive camp site. from there, we hiked to and from the summit of enchanted rock at least twice. the view from the top was incredibly beautiful.

I LOVE THIS PARK. I will be going back. My 5 year old son and I accompanied some friends to backpack the park for the weekend. We had a blast! I am very proud to say that my Son had no problem hiking to the summit. I on the other hand.... I will make sure it is a little cooler the next time we go.

Awesome Hike! Very diverse scenery with amazing rock formations. Lots of very interesting geologic activity can be seen on and around the rock dome. Make sure to climb the rock and check out the caves.

I have been to Enchanted Rock easily a dozen times in my life but now have the joy of going there with my family. We hiked this trail on a beautiful yet windy day so we were not alone. We hiked the Summit Trail then wound down through the canyon and onto the smaller rocks exploring all of the incredible rock formations along the way. The Summit Trail was crowded but the further we traveled from it onto the smaller rocks the fewer people we saw. We went close to an hour at one point without even spotting others in the distance. This hike was done with my 10, 6, and 3 year old children thus I gave it a 3 in difficulty. It was a great workout to hike with a child on my shoulders and a pack full of water and all enjoyed it immensely.

We hiked the summit, the loop, and points in between but not every peak...yet. Everything great about hiking in one park. Well worth the $6 admission. WARNING-Once we got turned away because the park was full. Rather than let you park on the empty road they made it all no parking so you have to pay or get turned away, not fun when you travel from Austin. But when you do get in, well worth a day's trip.

Best hike near Austin. The whole park is fun. Climbing, water crossings, different features. Just get there early as it can be hard to park and you cant park outside even though there is plenty of room.

Both a literal and figurative high point to end a difficult year!
User: butterflydragon - 12/31/2009[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 1.50 Miles
Duration: 2 hours

We started out on a Wednesday night and hiked the loop trail by moonlight into the Walnut Springs primative camping area to set up camp. After getting set up, we went to the scenic overlook (incredible by moonlight) then near the Moss Lake camping area. An injury forced us back to camp. The next morning we followed some of the Echo Canyon Trail, more of the Loop Trail and parts of the Turkey Pass Trail. We were pleasantly surprised that Moss Lake actually had water and not surprised that the frog pond was completely dry. We would have liked to explore more, but time kept us from staying any longer. A beautiful hike and a great workout.

Decent hike
User: aimsfirst - 5/31/2009[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 1.80 Miles
Duration: 1 hour, 10 minutes
I took the Loop Trail hike from the vehicle parking area to the Eagles's Nest camping area. The trail was not difficult and was rather short. I was doing a primitive camp but had arrived a little late for the longer route. The trail was well marked and was easy to see. I was impressed by the park rangers. One arrived at my campsite, I guess checking on her brood (us campers). She saw a fire site and immediately stated that was not legal. It was apparently set by some other camper(s) and was cold. The gnats were pretty bad that night. They enjoyed my lamp. I tried to "off" them but they apparently thought that must be alcohol and enjoyed themselves. The next morning I headed back to the vehicle with no difficulty. Walked a little through the riverbed, just a small stream back to the vehicle.
Then hiked to the top of the Enchanted Rock, approximately 30 - 40 minutes. It is a beautiful view before heading back down and away to Austin.

Having grown up in Fredericksburg i spent many weekends and summers exploring Enchanted Rock. I recently returned with my wife and son and had forgotten the beauty and serenity of Enchanted Rock. I do not want to discount the grand vistas and unique experience of climbing to the top of Summit Trail, but far too many people bypass what is the most beautiful and peaceful hikes in Texas. The start of the trail is very unassuming and you can loose the trail if you don't pay attention, but after you are firmly situated in the "saddle" of the two rocks you decend slowly to a small glade with three monolithic rocks that create an otherworldly environment that is perfect to relax and enjoy the nature around you. There are a number of rock climbing trails that spur off from the path and you can hook up with the Loop trail and get some great views of the rocks from the other side.

We visited Enchanted Rock on a beautiful January day, a little cool but the sun was shining. The weather was about the only good thing on this day. The park is over crowded and the rangers are the rudest I have ever encountered. We didn't stay long, way too many people. We won't be back.

We stayed at buzzards roost overnight which is the best site for backcountry camping IMO. We had a fantastic view of the rock and the horizon from our site. There was only one other group of campers out at our site which was'nt bad. If you are looking for isolation however this is not a park for it. There are herds of people hiking up the rock during the day. We did not follow many of the trails and explored the area off trail mostly. We spent most of our second day climbing up the rocks from the least traveled areas which was very challenging. This is a great place to go if you want a challenging climb (for an average hiker). You can make it as hard as you want, although we chose a rather easy route that was challenging enough for us. Its a small park and all most if not all can be seen in a full day. Definately worth checking out.

started this hike with high expectations...really pretty boulders and gradual climb but then it got a bit too "back country" for me...loads of burned off cactus and trees. i enjoy walking so this was ok - then i found echo canyon and that was super nice!

To newbies hiking to the top of E-Rock at night, it's easy to become directionally disoriented one you reach the summit. After dark, there aren't too many visible landmarks and few landmark-worthy lights in the distance to navigate by. Hence, take a compass and use it to locate the correct direction down. You don't have to be too precise. Take a general directional bearing on the way up and follow the opposite bearing to go down. This will point you generally in the direction of your ascent. Otherwise, you could be suprised to find yourself on a much steeper descent that you expected.

Hiked this last weekend with a friend of mine. Probably picked the worst weekend to go, the day after the fourth of July. Lots of people but fun as always. I usually start hiking the rock by going up the summit trail, standing on the marker and coming down a different route. This time we came down the back side crawling along the top of the "cave". My friend had a bit of a hard time of it becuase he was sore but it seemed quite a light hike to me. But then I spent the last six weeks hiking nearly every day and for ten hours a day, so I might be a bit more used to it.

I'm new to hiking and backpacking and chose this to be my first trip. I arrived late and self registered because the office was closed. Spent the night at Moss Lake campsite. Climbed the summit in the morning. Took a lot of effort with 30 extra pounds strapped to my back but managable. The view wasn't as great as in the above photos because it was a very foggy and cloudy day. On the upside it meant I had the whole place pretty much to myself. I only saw three other people the whole time I was at the park. The 30-40 degree weather and random occurances of sprinkling rain probably had something to do with it as well. I also hiked a lot of the loop trail and the Echo Canyon trail. Echo Canyon trail is not "paved" very well in many parts and you will find yourself trying to navigate from rock to rock while simultaneously attempting to avoid splitting your head open from a slip. Rewarding hike though. The primitive campgrounds are in good shape and have nice flat areas to pitch a tent. I saw some deer, wild pigs and of course birds. I'd love to go back when its a nice day out to get the great view as well as explore the caves. One final note, keep an eye out for the trail markers, usually they are in view of each other but occasionally I would find myself venturing out into dead ends that appeared like trails.

Beautiful scenery. Several areas for rock climbing. Many hiking trails, including trails between rocks. Really enjoyed the trail between Little Rock and Enchanted Rock... trail ends and you hike a rugged "trail" through rocky area before climbing to the top of Enchanted Rock. Found many areas for rock climbing (climbing from rock to rock without needing safety lines).

A great trail to get views and sunshine, with some cool rock formations to see along the way. Its still a graveled and fairly level trail, so if you want something more adventursome stick with the domes.

For a girl who couldn't even walk to get the mail a year ago, I was ecstatic to reach the top of this peak. The view was magnificent; a celebration of the journey. The drive out to Enchanted Rock was beautiful-the wildflowers were really outdoing themselves. An experience that reminded me of how lucky I am to live in Texas. Next visit I'll be there at sun up. A little more solitude and the sunrise would make this an even more phenomenal experience.

What a beautiful place!
User: Rajun Cajun - 5/5/2007[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 2.00 Miles
Duration: 2 hours
Cinco de mayo! First of all, the drive from Austin to Fredricksburg was magnificent. The winding roads and scenery was breathtaking but WOW it was a long drive. I would suggest planning on staying the night in Fredricksburg or at the rock. The town has some great shopping, food and cold beer! As usual I took the family and we had a little picnic on the top. Careful with your trash though it's very windy so be sure and take a backpack or something to quickly stuff you trash into. The plants and wildlife are plentiful. Be sure and check out the history of the place inside the check-in station. It's a great hike I look forward to going back and doing the full loop and having an overnight stay.

Very enjoyable hike
User: kcameron - 3/29/2007[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.50 Miles
Duration: 3 hours
We hiked the trail counter-clockwise. Recent rains had caused some run off, so little streams appeared where they normally don't. That made the hike fun, though, because it took on a different appearance than it has, say, on a sunny summer day. We enjoyed watching a group from a local school climb up Buzzard's Roost. Recent flooding left debris in brush at eye level along Sandy Creek.

We only walked part of the trail.
User: Eveline - 3/23/2007[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.20 Miles
Duration: N/A

We went up on the top of Enchanted Rock then did a loop on the trails through the park.

Great hike! Great view! But lots of people.
User: icgalloway - 3/4/2007[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 1.00 Mile
Duration: 2 hours
The hike up to the peak is pretty strenuous but it's definately manageable for almost anyone. It took us about 15-20 mins to reach the peak and we stopped a couple times. Once you reach the top there are lots of other rocks to climb and caves to explore. The hardest part is climbing around in the caves but that's an optional part of the experience. We tired ourselves out on the main rock before we were able to even check out any of the other trails and rocks. It was a whole lot of fun and I'm sure we'll be returning to check out the rest of the park.

tough hike, worth it
User: lauraumstattd - 12/30/2006[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 1.00 Mile
Duration: N/A
Bryan and I climbed to the top of the world. A bit windy, and Bryan earned his badge of fate tempting. We deferred spelunking for lack of lights. Note to self...need headlamp.

Nice change of view point for the rock.
User: lauraumstattd - 12/30/2006[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 3.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
We hiked around enchanted rock from loop trail to the canyon trail. Much quieter than the summit trail. the way back home was awesome with bouldering down, following the stream flowing beneath the rocks. Finish up with a picnick and what a day! Carside campsites available.

It was a beautiful day overall, which means the trail to the summit was well travelled, so solitude was at a minimum. Though not bad at the base, the winds were howling up on top, so much so that I had to stuff my hat in my backpack despite the fact that it has a chin strap. Despite being crowded on top it was possible to find a quiet spot somewhere just off the peak.

Away from the crowds, but still no solitude
User: Austin Explorer - 10/29/2006[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.76 Miles
Duration: 2 hours, 28 minutes
I hiked a bunch of the loop side trails (Walnut Springs, Echo Canyon, Turkey Pass Trail, etc). There were far fewer people here than on the Summit Trail, but with the weather so nice on this day there were still plenty of people around.

Scary, if your challenged by high places
User: waltzcar - 9/5/2006[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 0.60 Mile
Duration: 1 hour
I went on a misty/slightly drizzly day, and saw only 2 otherr people on the entire hike, and they werre descending as I was beginning my climb. The view was awesome, but I'm terrified of heights, and being alone didn't help. I reached a dike with a rougher type rock that seemed to go to the summit, but as I followed it up there was yet another "hump" before the summit, and I was just too intimidated by the height to continue, so I went back down. It was a great hike, anyway.

It Rocks!!
User: big tex - 5/30/2006[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: N/ASolitude: N/A
Distance: 7.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
I love this place have been going here since I was 5. Everytime I go her I find something new to explore. Awesome playground for all ages.

Awesome and accessible
User: dviljoen - 3/13/2006[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 2.50 Miles
Duration: N/A
This is a great place to take a family. We have 4 kids between 10 and 5 years. Its hard to find a good hike that is easy enough for the young-uns, and interesting enough for the adults.
This hike was not trivially easy, but it wasn't a forced march either. The fact that you can see the top the whole way up turns out to be a great motivation to keep going.
The views are spectacular. The rock is granite in its natural form. Since we homeschool, it was a great geology lesson for the kids. Its beautiful rock.
This is the wrong place to go to get alone though. Its very heavily traveled.

Lots of people all on and around rocks. They were very friendly though. Crawled down off top to backside thru series of rock ledges and boulders and a small cave. Look forward to do this again and explore more of the park.

great hike, great climb
User: Kim - 9/26/2005[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 5.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
We camped E-Rock to avoid Hurricane Rita. Becasue we were evacuee's we camped for free. Thank You Texas!
During the week there were very few others at the park, the weekend saw a few more folks show up. Never was it crowded.
Restrooms were clean, campsites were far enough apart to avoid the cramped in feeling. Views were wonderful, trails marked very well. Hiking the dome at night was way cool.

A hike with lots of variety
User: kcameron - 7/26/2005[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 5.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
We arrived early to avoid the crowds. Still, we met several people as we climbed and then descended the summit. We then worked our way along Sandy Creek and followed the trail that cuts between the Big Rock, Freshman Mountain and Turkey Peak. Once we got on this trail, and later the Loop Trail, we only met 2 other parties of hikers.
I enjoy the variety of this park. You can climb the hills, climb the rocks, hike along the creek among the trees, and wander through Echo Canyon and the trees there. The Loop Trail is an excellent and smooth grade for beginning hikers.

Awesome hike early in the morning
User: texasgrape - 6/25/2005[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 3.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
Here's how you get a 4.5 enjoyability and a 4.5 solitude!
Arrive at the Loop Trail trailhead (west side) before dawn! Just as it gets light, proceed. We saw bucks in the velvet, does, fawns, and raccoons. Hill country is very cool, weather wise, in the early mornings. We continued on the Loop Trail and then went north through the Walnut Springs campground. Followed it around to where it crossed the Loop Trail again, but took the Echo Canyon trail back toward the Summit Trail.
We were the only ones hiking; everyone else was still sleeping. Because of our early start, we stayed cool and got to see wildlife you ordinarily wouldn't see. Then as soon as we got back close to the summit trail, you could see a line of folks just starting up to the summit; but we were already done and smiling! They looked so HOT. It was so nice, we did the exact same hike the next day!

A lot of people, great views and footing.
User: Enyawd - 6/18/2005[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 5.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
I have hiked the Rock many times, who hasn't. The nice thing is you make up a different trail every time and make it as long or short as you want.

User: AshleyNicole - 5/14/2005[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.50 Miles
Duration: N/A
You can never trust the weather! The day was reported to have thunderstorms and such, but it was clear and beautiful. We hadn't hiked in a while, so it was good for us. The rock was great, not really something I feel the need to do again. If possible, on the way down go to the left of the rock. It's a steep way down, but it's more fun and difficult than going back down the way you came. You should go into the town if you get the chance too, nice little German town.

User: nobody - 3/20/2005[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
I did the summit trail, then doubled back to Echo Canyon, from there to the loop trail and around Turkey Peak back to the parking area.
A nice hike, but throngs of people detract from the mountaintop experience. Most of them don't venture into the back country, which is a saving grace.

Be prepared for crowds
User: leemark45 - 2/20/2005[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 7.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
I arrived at 2pm and the parking lot was nearly full. The summit looked like it had a trail of ants. The park rangers said it was normal to have a full parking lot any time of the year. The hike to the top took about 45 minutes and there were a lot of people going up and coming down. After descending I took the main loop trail. Didn't encounter a single person! Moral of the story... if you climb "the rock" expect a crowd. The other trails should be just about empty (at least during the middle of the week. Weekends are another story.) As a side trip, when you exit the park, turn LEFT on RR965. It will dead-end at Hwy 16. Turn right for about 4 miles and when you see the Willow City Loop Road (on your left) TAKE IT! You will have about 13 miles of incredible scenery before you head back to Hwy 16.

A nice walk
User: texasgrape - 10/9/2004[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 3.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
A nice hike and my first at Enchanted Rock. Started out on the Summit Trail, turned left onto Echo Canyon Trail. Halfway on Echo Canyon Trail, turned right and went north of Enchanted Rock and Freshman's Mountain all the way to the Loop Trail at Buzzards Roost. From there, we took the Loop Trail southward to Sandy Creek which led us back to the beginning.

User: matthewNtime - 3/21/2004[View Log Page]Rating: N/ADifficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 5.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
The cave part of this hike is a must do. I've done it twice, once in December with a Boy Scouting group, once in May with my wife. The winter hike was much preferred, especially for the cave. Creepy crawly things are all over that cave in the warm months.

Liked it
User: HikerGirl - 1/31/2004[View Log Page]Rating: N/ADifficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 6.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
Went w/ a group that claimed it to be an advanced hike but then upon reaching the top of the rock I noticed little 3 & 4 yr old kids so I figured it wasn't that advanced afterall! Really liked it and want to go back to do some more hiking & maybe some rock climbing.

Great Hike after you climb to the top
User: figment - 4/20/2003[View Log Page]Rating: N/ADifficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
There are a couple places to break the loop, such as the Echo Canyon trail, so you can go as far as you want. It's very pleasant along the Sandy Creek, head to the right from the summit trail when you get to the creek.

Slippery slopes
User: Austin Explorer - 3/1/2003[View Log Page]Rating: Difficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.50 Miles
Duration: N/A
Trusting in the weather forecast's promise of clearing conditions we set out to hike around Enchanted Rock and then summit the rock itself. Conditions did clear, near sundown. We salvaged what we could and hiked a misty, overcast loop around the park. There was a few spots where the slick rocks presented a problem. We'll be back on a sunnier day.

Affraid of heights?
User: asellers98 - 9/30/2002[View Log Page]Rating: N/ADifficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 4.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
This climb is incredible, but there are times that the sheer drop off will make your gut feel the rush. Get there at 8am sharp, this allows you to be finished with the climb when the crowds come to join you. Park closes the gates when the parking is full, so be advised another reason to get there early. Do not forget your bug spray, there are annoying nats buzzing around.

Great Views, No Solitude
User: woodrg0 - 3/15/2002[View Log Page]Rating: N/ADifficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 1.00 Mile
Duration: N/A
What a beautiful place to see at day-break...unfortunately we arrived at 10:00am with a never-ending stream of school children.

I did this hike a long time ago. We hiked up the face in the mid morning. It was beautiful but there were quite a few other hikers. Now that we live in Austin I'm looking forward to taking my husband and doing the full hike!

Did this a long time ago.
User: Centex Trekker - 5/15/1991[View Log Page]Rating: N/ADifficulty: Solitude:
Distance: 3.00 Miles
Duration: N/A
Didn't actually do the full loop; just around the Rock (Enchanted Rock itself). My ex-wife, my brother and wife, and cousin and girlfriend as my brother carried his then 15 month old daughter on his shoulders did this hike. We also climbed the Rock.